Internal-combustion engine



Filed June 22, 1945 SSneets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ierifi'iaa5nar v BY y 1946- I I 3. STEABNE R 2,404,543

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed June 22, 1945 s sheds-Shea 2 INVENTOR.

Jun}! 1946 R. STEABNER 2,404,,3

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed June 22, 1945 5 sheets-sheet 3INVENTOR5 Patented July 23, 1946 OFFICE INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINERobert Steabner, Detroit, Mich. Application June 22, 1945, Serial No.600,954

This present invention relates to internal combustion engines of thetype in which two pistons in a single cylinder move away from oneanother when the fuel charge explodes. The connecting rod of eitherpiston is coupled at the outer end to an end of an oscillating lever theother end of which is connected by a coupling rod to one of the crankportions of a crankshaft.

The object of this invention is the design of an engine which comprisesa minimum number. of parts that may be produced at low cost and replacedwith a minimum of effort.

It is another object of the invention to design an engine that does notrely on the momentum of its moving parts to carry through the deadcenter. H

With these and other objects in view as will appear as the invention isunderstood, the same resides in the novelty of. construction,combination and arrangement of parts described in the followingdescription and claimed in the appended claim. The description should beread in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical, section through the longitudinal axis of thecylinder of the preferred em bodiment of my invention; 7

Figure 2 is a horizontal section on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a central vertical section on line 3-3 ofFigure 1;

Figure 4 is a detail plan view of the central portion of the crankshaftand the coupling rods pivoted thereto as viewedfrom the plane indicatedby section line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail view of the rocker between the connectingrod of the piston and the coupling rod of the crankshaft.

In the drawings in which like reference char- I acters designate like orsimilar parts, numeral 2 indicates in general ahousing, includingparallel,

vertical endwalls 3 and a bottom wall 4 comprising inwardly inclinedsections and sump 5 cated between the inner and lower sides of thebottom sectionsand intended to collect the oil.

The housing also includes a substantiallyvertical front wall 6 whichmerges at its lower end into an inclined sump wall and has a slightinwardill consists of a flat horizontally disposed front.

portion (Figure 3) and side portions sloping outl Claim. (Cl. 123-51)wardly Figure 1). The front portion of the top wall has a verticalflange ll extending parallel to the flange 9 and said flanges 9 and Hbeing disposed to intersect with flanges I2 of the sloping sideportions. These flanges have upper edges flush with one another todefine an opening for a part of the engine to be described and areprovided with bolt holes.

An engine block I3 is secured in the opening 2 within the flanges bybolts l4 inserted in the holes of the flanges and threaded in bosses l5(Figure 1). The latter are formed at the lower ends of a pair ofinclined walls l6 whichconverge upwardly. At the top end of these wallsare bosses I1 with threaded sockets for screw bolts I8 also passingthrough apertures in a closure plate IS. The intermediate portion of thelatter has two openings aligned along the longitudinal axis of theentire engine.

Through the left-hand (Figure 1) opening extends the intake pipe 2i andthrough the righthand opening extends the exhaust pipe 22, both shown indotted lines. The lower and inner end of the intake pipe is threadedinto the left-hand portion of the top wall 23 of a valve casing 24,

the front wall 25 of which forms a lower portion of the front wall ofthe engine block. The, entire valve casing is symmetrical about atransverse vertical plane indicated by the section line tinued with theunderstanding that the right hand half oi such casing is a duplicate ofthe (Figure 3).

"deft-hand half except as otherwise stated. The casing has transverseend Walls 26, and interior or rear wall 21, a pair of parallelintermediate partitions 28 (Figure 1) and a bottom wall formed by aportion of the cylinder still to be described The intake pipecommunicates with the chamber bounded by the left-hand end wall andpartition and portions of the front and rear walls. The left-hand endwall has on either side centrally located bosses 29 with an aperture forthe stem 30 of a valve 3!. The latter has a conventional bevel on itsperipheral margin and is seated in a correspondingly beveled opening inthe left-hand partition. The opening of the valve places the chamberdescribed in communication with the explosion chamber between theparti-- tions and below the same to be dealt with later.

The intake valve stemhas a portion extending beyond the outer side ofthe left-hand end'wall 26 and carries a transversepin 32 in the outerend of that portion. The latter is surrounded by upon'the crankshaft 52.in bearing plates 48, each attached to the inner a coil spring 33bearing with one end against th pin and with the other end against theexterior boss formed on the outer side of that end wall and normallyholding the valve to its valve seat.

From the intermediate portion of the bottom wall 34 of the engine blockrises a fulcrum post p 35 which includes a horizontally extending sleeve35. A fulcrum pin 37 is journaled in the sleeve i and extends beyondeither end of the same (Figures 1, 3). Upon the front end portion ofsuch the outer rounded end of the latter and which opens the valve atthe proper time. The rear end portion of the fulcrum pin projectingbe--yond the rear end of the sleeve is secured to an arm 4t extendingupwardly and towards the valve casing and provided upon the upper endportion of the side facing that casing with a groove 4|. nto. the groove4| extends the upper rounded end; of a rod 42 which is disposed, in aninclined position (Figure 1) and is guided in an inclined openingformedin a 111% 43 extending from the inner side of the rear ,wall of theengine block and inIthe bottom wall. of the latter (Figure 3). The.portion of the rod below the bottom wall is encircledb a coil spring it.bearing with its upper end against the lower side of the bottom' walland with its lower end against a washer 4'5 iixed on the rod.

. 'Inthe right-hand portionof the valve casing to right of the sectionplane 393 is an exhaust valve and valve operating mechanism both ofwhich are duplicates of the structure just de scribed" including theintake valve and the mechanism fol-operating the same. The exhaust valveand mechanism for operating the same are there- 1 a rocker (Figure 2).

fore designated by numerals identical with those I used for indicating.the intake valve and the:

mechanism for operating the same. 7

The two rods for operating the intake'and exhaust valves convergedownwardly and'have lower rounded endswhich are engaged. in successionby a pair of cams 48 formed on the forward end oi a shaft 41'; It isunderstood that the successive operation of the intake and exhaustValves are timed in synchronization with the operation of the-engine.

- The shaft 3? is journaledin the rear'wall of 1. the housing andbearing. plate d8 attached to the inner side of'the latter and has ahead 49 bearing against the outer side of the rear wall. Fixed uponthe-shaft between the cam structure and hearing plate is a'driven gear50 which meshes at it slower side with asmaller gear 5i rigid The latteris journaled side of the front or rear housing wall respectively, andextends outside of the same. The crankshaft has two cranked sections 53(Figure 4) which havecylindrical portions 54 journaled in thejournalends of coupling rods 55,

Bi'i'integral with'the coupling rod and a semicylindrical half Elsecured by a bolt 58 to the first rnenticned half. 'The coupling rodsextend 3 inopposite directions and'have-upon their re- 1 moteendsjournalportions 59 in which pins '65 are journaledi Rocking I levers 6| i Thejournalends consist each of a semi-cylindrical half the housing. Eachrocker consists of an intermediate part 65 having two arms and two outerparts 66 each representing an arm equal in length to an arm of theintermediate part. The outer parts extend in opposite directions and areconnected by sleeves 61 to the intermediate part. The sleeve receivesthe shaft 63 and spaces the outer parts from the intermediate part.

7 A pin 60 described is mounted in registering apertures formed in thefree endof one outer part and of one arm of'the intermediate part ofThese parts form the lower arm of each rocking lever. Figure 2 showsthat the lower armof the left-hand rocker is nearer the front wall ofthe housing and that the corresponding arm of the right-hand rocker isnearer the rear housing wall. The upper arms of these rockers still tobe described are aligne with one another. I

Figure 1 shows that the straight line connecting the pivot axis of thelower rocker arms in the position shown lies above the axis of the:

crankshaft. This construction avoids a dead center position, since theangle included by the coupling rod and the crank section connectedthereto is less than a straight angle.

The coupling rods rotate the crankshaft and receive their motionby apinBil which is mount.- ed in the free end of the other arm of theintermediate part and of the other outer part. Each of such pins 60 isjournaled in journal ends 56, 51, 58, similar to thejournal ends on thecoupling rods and each mounted on the outer end of a connecting rod 68.The other end of eachv connecting rod pivoted. by a wrist pin 20' on toa piston 69 which carries rings 10.

'Both pistons are disposed for motiontowards or from one another in ahorizontal cylinder 1B. The upper portion of which has been describedas, housing part of thebottom of the valve-casing (Figure 1).

tween the space. in. the valve casing bounded by the two valves and thetop wall of thevalve casing and the interior of the cylinder. The

space defined and the interior of the cylinder between the inner portionends functions as an explosion chamber. r

A portion of the cylinder is surrounded by a wall 12 paced from thecylinder to form there with a water jacket for cooling the cylinder. The

latter is supported .by horizontaltransverse braces '73 which rest withtheir outer ends upon the bearing plates described. 7

The foregoing description describes an engine by the ignition (notshown) andthepistons move away from one another. This motion is trans--mittedby the connecting rods which swing the upper'arms of therockeroutwardly. Thezcoim cident inward motion of the-loweriarm of-therockers causesthecranked section of the crank--' shaft torotate aquarter turn attheend of which the crank sections occupy apos'itionslightly inclinedto thevertical. 'Now the exhaust valveis opened. by thecam structure described-and kept open duringv the ensuing inward.strokeofthe pistons which force goutwardly through. the" ex This upperportion has an opens ing 'lii whereby communication is established be-The space between the inner haust valve the products of the previouscombustion between the inner ends of the piston and the exhaust port.cam shaft is rotated and the inlet port is opened by one of the cams anda charge is drawn into the cylinder. This charge explodes at thebeginning of the next quarter turn. This cycle is repeated. The broadidea of my invention, as defined in the appended claim, may of course,be carried out in structures varying from that herein specificallydescribed, so that the details which I have disclosed in the foregoingdescription and accompanying drawings to illustrate a preferredembodiment of my invention are not to be taken as limitative.

I claim:

An internal combustion engine comprising a frame, an engine block in theupper portion of The latter closes as the p the frame, a cylinder in theengine block, inlet and exhaust valves normally closed in the engineblock above the cylinder, a pair of pistons in the cylinder, a pair ofconnecting rods, each connected to a piston, a pair of rocking leverspivoted in the frame and each having one arm connected to a connectingrod, a pair of coupling rod each connected to the other arm of a lever,a crankshaft journaled in the frame and having a pair of cranks eachconnected to the other end of a connecting rod, a shaft journaled in theframe and geared to the crank shaft, cams on the shaft, a pair of rodsslidably mounted in the frame and successively operated by the cams, andlevers fulcrumed in the engine block and each coacting with a rod foropening a valve.

' ROBERT STEABNER.

